


COMFORT

by trashpup



Series: MAN'S BEST FRIEND [3]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Carlos Reyes Needs a Hug (9-1-1 Lonestar), Dogs, Insecure Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star), M/M, Not Beta Read, Supportive TK Strand, Tags Are Hard, Veterinary Clinic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29781543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashpup/pseuds/trashpup
Summary: Carlos is very upset that Feroz is spending the night at the ER vet, distraught about the unknown. TK's there to comfort him.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: MAN'S BEST FRIEND [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955299
Comments: 13
Kudos: 61





	COMFORT

**Author's Note:**

> i completely forgot i finished this lmaooo. idk how long it's been sitting in the google doc, but it's here now.   
> enjoy!

_“TK, can you meet me at the emergency vet, please?”_ Carlos’ voice cracked as he spoke and TK was not prepared for their phone call to start like this. 

“Carlos? Is everything okay? What’s going on and are you okay?” TK tilted his head to cradle his phone between his shoulder and ear, leaving his hands free. He grabbed a pen and piece of paper off his dad’s desk. 

_“I-It’s Feroz, he got into the chocolates I got for you and ate some. I don’t know how many he ate so I called the vet,”_ Carlos sounded panicked and it wasn’t often that Carlos panicked about anything. _“Ty, dogs aren’t supposed to have chocolate… What if he… What if he dies? Then it’s my fault and I can’t live with that guilt!”_

“Carlos, calm down, it’s going to be okay. I’m on my way now. Do you want me to pick you and Feroz up or are you already at the vet?” TK scribbled out a note to his dad before running out and down the stairs to his locker. He collected the necessities and ran to his car, listening to Carlos sob over the phone. 

Carlos asked if TK could come and pick them up because he was in no shape to drive. TK slammed his car door and told Carlos he was already on his way, continuing to talk to Carlos so he wouldn’t start to overthink. 

“Carlos, baby, can you breathe for me?” TK asked, trying to encourage Carlos to take deep breaths and try to calm down. He doesn’t count breaths aloud, but instead, lets Carlos take the lead.

_“Where are you?”_

“I’m a few minutes away, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you want to meet me outside or do you need me to come inside and help?” TK asked, keeping his voice steady, thankful for his job training. 

_“We’ll meet you outside,”_ Carlos whimpered.

TK could hear Carlos call Feroz and then heard the clink of the leash against his harness. He heard Feroz’s nails tapping against the hardwood floors and then the front door opening and closing. 

_“We’re outside,”_ Carlos sniffled, murmuring to Feroz whenever TK would pause between sentences. 

“I’m pulling into the neighbourhood now, sweetheart. I’ll be there in just a second; I’m not hanging up, don’t worry,” TK announced, hearing Carlos whine, thinking he was going to hang up before arriving. 

When TK pulled into the driveway, he saw Carlos and Feroz sitting on the porch steps. Carlos hung up and put one arm around Feroz and the other around his stomach. TK noticed that Carlos looked like he was going to be sick. 

TK put his car in park, not bothering to turn it off, and jumped out, running over to Carlos and Feroz. Carlos looked up and immediately started crying again. He opened his arms for TK to hug him and then just sank into TK’s grasp, shaking and crying. 

“You’re okay, baby, we’re gonna go get him checked out at the vet,” TK said softly, running his hands through Carlos’ hair. “Come on, let’s get you two in the car.” 

Carlos stood on shaky legs before heading to TK’s car, Feroz following alongside him. When they got in, Carlos opted to sit in the backseat with Feroz rather than the front seat without him. 

“Okay, we’ll be there in about ten minutes, alright?” TK called into the back, unsure if Carlos was even listening. He turned off the radio and just tried to talk to Carlos about what exactly happened because it wasn’t like Feroz to steal food. 

“I-I don’t know, I went to the bedroom for a minute to get the laundry and I didn’t realise that your chocolates were still out, I would’ve put them up for you if I’d known,” Carlos explained quietly, his head bowed, eyes fixed on a stain in his jeans. 

“I got hungry last night, I should’ve put them up once I was finished eating them, I’m sorry, sweetheart,” TK mentally slapped himself for forgetting to put his food away. He knew he couldn’t leave things out, but especially in the middle of the night, he’s forgetful.

“I need to call off work tomorrow and the day after,” Carlos announced, pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialling his sergeant’s number. 

Carlos was on the phone until they pulled into the parking lot of the vet’s office. He quickly said goodbye and barely waited for TK to stop the car before he was unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the door. 

Feroz wagged his tail as they walked inside, everyone inside cooed at him, which made him wag his tail harder. He whined when they got to the front desk to check-in, sitting down when Carlos asked him to. 

“We’ve got Feroz here. He’s acting fine but we just want to make sure he’s alright. He got into some chocolate at home,” Carlos said, putting on a brave face for Feroz as well as for himself. 

TK could see the way Carlos’ hands were shaking, so he did the same thing Carlos would do for him when he was panicking. He took ahold of Carlos’ free hand and squeezed it twice, rubbing his thumb over Carlos’. 

It was their way of letting the other know that they weren’t alone and that they had each other. TK liked it because it took the pressure off of him having to reply when he was panicking or overstimulated and the quietest noises would set him off. It was how Carlos could communicate with him that he wasn’t alone in any fight.

“Okay, let’s go get a weight on Feroz and then we’ll take you guys back to a room,” the vet tech smiled and stood up, alerting Feroz to her presence. His ears twitched, but he didn’t break his sit-stay until Carlos released him. “Wow, he’s really well trained!”

“He’s a police K-9, he has to be well trained,” Carlos stated bluntly, his eyes downcast. The tech tried to laugh to lighten the mood but TK caught the nervous smile on her face and knew what was about to happen. He made eye contact with her and shook his head before she could even make a sound.

They weighed Feroz, seeing him at the ideal weight for his age, then they went back to one of the exam rooms and sat, waiting for someone to come in and talk to them about what was going to happen. 

∆

TK had to shake Carlos a few times to get him to even look up. He first looked around the room for Feroz, not finding him. He began to panic all over again, his heart rate sped up significantly and he locked eyes with TK.

“Wh-” Carlos started, immediately getting cut off by TK placing his hands on his cheeks. 

“Carlos, baby, let’s go home. They took Feroz for observation, they’re going to call one of us with any news on him, they’re going to keep him for at least twenty-four hours just to make sure he’s alright,” TK explained, swiping his thumbs over Carlos’ cheeks, brushing away tears that had fallen. “He’s going to be okay, he’s a tough boy.”

“They’re keeping him?” Carlos whimpered, feeling TK’s fingers stop on his cheeks. “They can’t do that. I need him. I-”

“They need to make sure he’s okay, they’re going to keep us updated on how he’s doing, but right now we need to go home and you need to rest,” TK said, moving his hands to run through Carlos’ hair. He bent down slightly to place a kiss on top of Carlos’ head, hearing the other man sniff. 

They stayed in place for another moment before TK helped Carlos to his feet and held tightly to his hand, keeping him grounded as they walked out. TK had to fight Carlos to go to the car instead of sitting on the bench outside the building, telling Carlos he couldn’t camp out in front of the building until they released Feroz.

The drive home was completely silent, save for a couple of quiet sobs from Carlos, who opted for the backseat again. TK spent the drive looking in the rearview mirror every so often, just to check and make sure that Carlos was okay. He was worried about Carlos; he could be away from Feroz, neither of them had separation anxiety, but this was different. 

“Carlos, come on, let’s go inside and lay down,” TK said quietly, opening the back door to his car. Carlos was sitting against the opposite window, so TK climbed in and sat down next to him. 

“I know it’s terrifying, Carlos, but he’s going to be alright. He’s in good hands and the vet will call us if anything changes, good or bad,” TK squeezed Carlos’ hand, getting a small squeeze in return. “Do you want to go inside?” 

Carlos nodded and pulled himself away from the window. TK went ahead and climbed out as well, hurrying around to the passenger side, knowing Carlos needed a hug. He stood a few feet away from his boyfriend, giving Carlos the opportunity to ignore him and go straight inside, but Carlos needed to be vulnerable and open with someone. 

TK knew that Carlos had a hard time letting himself be emotionally vulnerable with people, he was conditioned from a young age that boys and men buried their emotions. When he came out as gay, his mother pushed that belief on him even more, praying every single day that her little boy didn’t get beat up for being a homosexual. 

Carlos buried his emotions and never let them out, but TK was determined to show him that it was okay. Carlos was more than okay with it, but sometimes, he didn’t want to show that type of weakness.

“TK, what happens if he doesn’t pull through? What happens if I killed him? Oh no, I’m gonna lose my job and go to jail and I’m never going to get anywhere in life because I’m a horrible per-”

“Carlos; I love you, but stop talking,” TK said, pulling back from Carlos. He cupped Carlos’ cheeks in his hands and forced him to make eye contact. He needed to hear it from someone. “Freaking out and overthinking it isn’t going to help the situation, okay? Let’s go inside, lay down, cuddle, and try to rest a bit.” 

Carlos could only nod his head, too scared to open his mouth and attempt to speak. He allowed TK to lead them inside and even help take off his shoes. They went down the hall to the bedroom, TK letting go of Carlos’ hand long enough to pull the sheets back and take his jeans off. He set his phone on the charger on his side of the bed before turning back to Carlos.

“Do you want to wear your pants to bed? I know you run a bit hot,” TK said, gently running a hand down Carlos’ arm, causing him to shiver. Carlos shook his head, confirming that he didn’t want to wear his pants. 

TK went ahead and pulled his pants down as well, taking his phone and wallet out and setting them both on Carlos’ side of the bed. He tossed both pairs towards the hamper before tugging Carlos to bed. They both climbed in, Carlos immediately curled up and made himself look smaller than he was, leaving TK to pull Carlos to his own chest and pepper kisses on his shoulder blades. 

“I love you, ’Los, I think Feroz is gonna be alright, he’s gonna be just fine,” TK murmured, trying to keep his voice low so he wouldn’t disturb Carlos. 

∆

Surprisingly, they both slept through the night, waking up to a call from the emergency vet. Carlos was suddenly wide awake as he listened to the vet talk about how Feroz was doing. TK, on the other hand, was struggling to wake himself up and follow along with the conversation. 

“So, he’s doing fine? When can we come to pick him up?” Carlos asked, a lot more energetic than he was the day before. 

TK looked at his own phone on the bedside table, seeing that it was a little bit past eight in the morning. Usually, he didn’t even start to think about waking up until half-past ten on his days off, but this was important to Carlos, so TK would make tiny sacrifices. 

By the time TK was lucid enough to follow along to the conversation, Carlos had hung up the phone. He was up and walking around by the time TK sat up, hardly awake enough to be an active participant in a conversation. 

“The vet said that Feroz is doing great and that we can pick him up in about an hour and a half. I know the vet’s office is kind of far away so I figure we can head out soon and be there in about an hour and a half exactly,” Carlos continued to rattle off information that the vet had given him, but TK wasn’t retaining any of it. 

It was clear who the morning person was in their relationship.

∆

Two hours later they pulled into the vet’s office parking lot. Carlos hardly waited for the car to stop before he was unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the door. TK muttered under his breath about how it was supposed to be the other way around but quickly killed the ignition and joined Carlos in the lobby. 

“Told you he’d pull through,” TK said, nudging Carlos in the side. Carlos bent down slightly and kissed TK’s cheek. 

“Thank you, TK,” Carlos whispered, pressing another kiss to TK’s lips as he looked up. They pulled back from each other when they heard Feroz’s nails against the laminate flooring. “Feroz!” 

Carlos bent down and held out his arms, wrapping them around Feroz as he skidded to a halt in front of the man. Feroz allowed Carlos to hold him for a few seconds before he was wiggling out of Carlos’ grasp and moving to TK, looking up at him, silently begging for TK to pet him.

“Hey, bub, how’re you feeling?” TK asked, crouching down and petting Feroz, making sure he scratched behind the pup’s ears, just as he liked. Feroz licked TK’s hand and whined again, turning his head towards the door leading outside. 

“Feroz, hold on, I need to talk with the tech before we leave,” Carlos said, scratching under Feroz’s chin. “We’ll be out of here in just a minute, okay?” 

“Do you want me to take him outside before we leave?” TK asked, looking up at Carlos from where he was still crouched down. Carlos nodded and expressed his gratitude with a chaste kiss to TK’s lips as he stood up. 

TK took Feroz out, unclipping his leash from his harness and clipping it to his collar instead. He went ahead and took his harness off, fluffing out his fur with a smile. Feroz shook his body, ending with a little extra shake of his butt and tail, making TK laugh.

Carlos stepped out of the building a few moments later, smiling at the image of TK and Feroz sitting on a bench facing the other way. Feroz had hopped up onto the bench next to TK and allowed TK to lean his head against his side. 

“Boys, you two coming?” Carlos called, chuckling when Feroz and TK scrambled up off the bench and ran as fast as they could towards the car. “Careful, I don’t want to see either of you in another emergency room anytime soon. Preferably never again, alright?”

**Author's Note:**

> all mistakes are mine, this isn't beta read, i just skimmed over it, for the most part.


End file.
